Luxury is a state of mind

March Against Police Violence

This is a word press awarded photo taken by a USA photographer named John J. Kim. This photo captured a moment when a black protester stared at the police officer in a protest. It was a protest after a video of a 17-year-old black boy being shot by a police officer in Chicago. I think it is symbolic because it implicates the discontent of people towards the police, it also emphasises on the issue of racial discrimination. The protester shows determination and anger through his eyes, it shows that the issue indeed is serious and worth to gain attention from people in the world. The photographer would like to send a strong message of stop bullying or isolating the black people because of different skin colour and he wish to raise the awareness of people, reminding them to show respects to people from a different background so as to make society a harmonious place to live in.

I went to the body shop to do my practice on taking portraits. It was a nice experience since I am able to practice using the camera by adjusting the aperture, shutter speed and ISO to take photos with clarity and make sure there is enough light enter the camera. For the head and should portrait of the staff, I used a low aperture so as to create a larger depth of field. Overall, I was satisfied with my performance since I am able to adjust different functions quickly, however, there is still room for improvement since some of the photos seem to be a bit too yellow due to the light inside the shop, therefore I should adjust the white balance.

There is also a challenge which I have to overcome, I was rejected by several shopkeepers due to several reasons, I was disappointed and felt timid to ask again, however, the shopkeepers in the body shop were so nice that they allowed me to take several pictures, and they are willing to let me direct their pose. I was contented and would like to do more practices to make an improvement.

Reflection of John Ingledew’s ‘The Portrait’

After reading the article, I realize that a portrait is more than a picture of a person since it may review the unknown side of a person which is beyond his/her appearance, we are able to read the sitter’s facial expressions clearly. In order to take a portrait is not as easy as we think, tools, lighting, locations are essential. In my opinion, portraits taken in a studio may have restrictions to the sitters since they are being guided by the photographer, on the other hand, natural environment reflects the situation genuinely and I think it will have more impacts. Therefore, the choice of a photographer is important since different outcomes will generate different effects.

Walker Evans is famous for taking portraits with an unseen camera, he is an American photographer who took photos in New York subway with a hidden camera in his coat. I think his work is interesting and creative since the targets do not notice that they were being photographed, therefore their expression are more insightful and different when comparing to the ones who know the presence of camera.

I did some amendment to the tape after conducting an interview with my classmate through Adobe Audition

This week we focused on the topic of sound which we have to familiar ourselves with a voice recorder, therefore, we did some practice with our classmates.

After listening to the recording, I realized that there were some disturbing sounds, for example the noise created by someone closing the door, or people walked pass us might sound, from this experience, I learnt that before I conduct an interview, I should make sure the venue is a suitable one which means it should provide a quiet environment so that the interview will not be disturbed by noise.

Moreover, the technique of asking interviewee questions is critical, since how they answer the question affect the quality of the recording a lot, therefore in order to let the interviewee express more of their opinions, yes-no questions should be avoided.

The famous portrait photographer I would like to introduce today is Antonin Kratochvil. He is a portrait photographer as well as a photojournalist from Czechoslovakia. Kratochvil has a unique style of taking photos from celebrities to war victims, black and white photos are his preference. Kratochvil’s own refugee life has a great impact on his style and interest. He used to take photos of Mongolia’s street children for the magazine, recovering the war in Iraq by taking photos for Fortune Magazine etc. All his works are reviewing the truth of war, the are not only a piece of artworks but also telling stories, experiences through the facial expression oh tar sitters and the background of the photos.

Bill Cunningham was a well-known American fashion photographer who worked for The New York Times. I admire his passion and devotion towards taking street photography. Cunningham used to be a self-taught photographer, with practice and hard work, he became a famous fashion photographer.

His attitude towards photo-taking is also commendable. He did not take photos of celebrities in the manner of paparazzi, he preferred the spectacular style of them. He once said: “Money is the cheapest thing. Liberty is the most expensive.”[1] Cunningham never took extra credits from others, although it was hard to stay straight in this big city, he was loyal to his job and respected himself by having an unflattering behavior and upheld his own values in order to survive in this industry.

This is a photo taken in my high school with the background of my school’s special feature- the red bricks. It symbolises the friendship between my buddies and me since we have known one another for so long while this photo was taken before our graduation ceremony, therefore, it was a memorable moment.

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